Conveyors are widely used to quickly and efficiently move objects and material from one location to another. Many conveyors include a continuous loop conveyor belt that is looped over a rotatable head pulley and a rotatable tail pulley. The head pulley may be powered to rotate in a direction that pulls an upper portion of the conveyor belt that is between the head and tail pulleys toward the head pulley, thus conveying a load towards the head pulley. A lower portion of the conveyor belt is relatively slack and moves from the head pulley towards the tail pulley. Objects and material may be loaded onto the conveyor belt along the top portion and unloaded or discharged at the location of the head pulley as the conveyor belt moves around the head pulley. The conveyor belt may be supported between the head and tail pulleys on rollers and the like.
Conveyor components are susceptible to malfunction, wear, corrosion and stress as a result of the rigors of use present in many applications, such as mining and quarrying. Improper tension of the conveyor belt can result in breakdowns and inefficiencies. The need to repair or adjust conveyor components imposes additional costs and requires additional labor, and may even require the stopping of the conveyor, thereby causing the loss of production. There is a long-felt need for an improved means to increase or decrease conveyor belt tension or remove or change the conveyor belt.